Flangeway guard



April 2, 1935. J, w. FRAZIER FLANGEWAY GUARD Fild April 26, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 CECE A ril 2, 1935. J. w. FRAZIER FLANGEWAY GUARD Filed April 26, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a a w/ W Patented Apr. 2, 1935 FLANGEWAY GUARD James W. Frazier, Cleveland, Ohio Application April 26, 1933, Serial No. 668,051

Claims.

. This invention relates to flangeway guards for highway crossings, and has for its general object to provide a guard of-this character which will not only serve the function of preventing the feet f5 of pedestrians and animals from being caught between a guard and the running rail with which it is associated, but which will be capable of withstanding the modern hard usage to which such guards are subjected at highway crossings, due to the severe impacts of the tires of heavy trucks and coaches. Further and more limited objects of the invention are to provide a'guard of this character which is so constructed as to prevent the breaking down' of the pavement adjacent to the flange which is spaced from the running rail with which the guard is associated; to produce a guard which, while sufliciently strong to withstand all of the incidents of modern heavy usage, shall be capable of economical production; and also to provide a guard of which an individual portion or section can be removed without dis turbing adjacent portions or sections.

I accomplish the foregoing objects and other and more specific objects which will appear hereinafter in the specification in and through the construction and arrangement of parts shown in the drawings, wherein Fig. 1 represents a plan view of a highway crossing, showing my guard in operative relation to the running rails; Fig. 2 r

a plan view of one of the intermediate sections and an adjacent portion of another intermediate section; Fig. 3 a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2, a portion of the left hand section being broken away; Fig. 4 an enlarged detailin section through one of the running rails andone' of the intermediate guard sections; Fig. 5 a plan View showing an end of one of the intermediate sections and an end section of my guard; Fig. 6 a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 an end elevation of one of such end sections; and Fig. 8 a sectional view corresponding to the line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

Describing the various parts by reference characters, I, I represent the running rails, each of which is shown as supported by tie plates 2 on 'the cross ties 3 and to which cross ties the rails are secured, as by the usual'spikes (not shown). 4 denotes generally the pavement of a highway crossing, which pavement may consist of cement,

or of an upper portion of asphalt supported by a lower portion of concrete or like ordinary foundation.

The flangeway guard which I employ is a sectional guard consisting of a number of intermediate sections A and end sections B. The sections A are identical, one with another, as to dimensions and structural details; so also are the sections B. 7

Each section A consists of a continuous integral casting having a short inclined flange 5 at its 5 inner side (the side which is-adjacent to the rail with which it cooperates) and with a horizontal flange 6 above the flange 5 and having its upper surface in the plane of the pavement 4. Between the flanges 5 and 6 there is formed a trough l. Extending downwardly and outwardly from the trough l is a continuous web 8,.having at its bottom a continuous seating member consisting of a flange 9 by which the section is supported upon and secured to the cross ties 3, as by the usual spikes (not shown). Each section .A is provided at opposite ends thereof with flanges It projecting outwardly from-the top and bottom of a rib l I integral with the web 8 and with the flanges 6 and 9, each flange I!) having a bolt hole adapted to register with a corresponding bolt hole in a like-designated flange at the adjacent end of an adjacent section. I2 denotes the bolts by which the adjacent sections are connected, it being noted that the ribs II and the flanges i0 form a reinforcing brace for the end of each section, projecting outwardly from the web 8 and strengthening the flanges band 9.

In addition tothe ribs. I I, shortbracing ribs I3 extend upwardly'from the web 8 to and beneath the flange 6, being formed-integral with said web and flange and serving to brace and support the latter from the former. I

Formed with the web 8 and the trough l and projecting from the inner face of the web 8 (the face directed toward theadjacent. rail I) are short ribs I4 serving to brace the trough I. As a means for further bracing-and strengthening the flange 6, ribs l5 are formed with and pro-- ject outwardly from the outer face of the web 8, each of these ribs extending from the flange 9 to the flange 6. v

Opposite the middle rib I5 and also opposite the ribs II are ribs I6, each of which is formed with the web 8, the trough I, and the flange 5 and each of which has at its inner end a vertically elongated extension lfi the bottom It of which is tapered to engage and rest upon the top of the base of the rail with which it cooperates, the flange 5 meanwhile engaging beneath the ball I of said rail. It will be evident that as many intermediate units or sections A as may be necessary may be readily bolted together to form a continuous flangeway guard for each of the running rails l. However, it is desirable to provide special end sections to cooperate with these intermediate sections at the ends 4 of the crossing pavement, which pavement ends are usually tapered downwardly. Each of these end sections B is provided with a short inclined flange 5 constituting, when assembled with an intermediate section, a continuation of the flange 5 of such intermediate section. Each end section is provided also with a flange 6 constituting a continuation of the flange E of the adjacent intermediatesection, itbeing noted that the flange 5 diverges from the flange 5 toward the end of the section B which is remote from the adjacent section A, as shown at 6' (see Fig. 5). Each, section B is provided also with an integralinclined web 8 complementary to the web .8 onftheia-dja cent intermediate section; and, each sectionB is provided at the end adjacent'to the'intermediate section with which it is to be connected-with a rib I I having the flanges Hi the said rib and flanges being of the same construction asthe rib I I and flanges lfl, respectively, at-the end ofthe adjacent section A, whereby the section B may be bolted to the'intermediate section adjacent thereto. In addition, eachend section B is provided with a vertically extending rib 15 on the outer side thereof, corresponding to the-rib IS on an intermediate section, the-rib I5 projecting 'from the web 8* and-being integrally connected therewith and with the flanges 6 6 and 9 the flange *8 forminga continuation of the flange 9 of the intermediate section adjacent thereto.

Each end section is provided also ,witlrribs l6",

' similarto'the ribs I 6 and each having an inclined bottom or foot adapted to engage the top of the base I of the running rail adjacent thereto and serving to brace and support the flange'fi It will benotedthat the endof each section B which is remote from the adjacent intermediate section is providedwith a downwardly inclined web H extending .thereacross and from the ends .of the flanges'5 and 6 and the'trough l te the bottom flanges 9 9 (the latter flange extending at right angles to the former, as shown in Fig. 5), as appears in Figs. 5 and ,6, such inclined .webbeing indicated at IT. The web I! is provided'beneath the flange 5 with an inclined lower end adapted to engage and rest upon the top of the base of a rail "l as is the case with the bottoms of the ribs l6 and IE9. This tapered end portion of each end section corresponds to the tapered end of the pavement and is embedded so as to be substantially flush with the upper sur face thereof; and the divergence of the flanges 5 and 16 .iforms a widened extension i .of the trough T, which efiectively prevents the feet of pedestrians and animals from. being caught in said trough. Furthermore, the inclines I! of the end sections Bpermit water entering the trough l, 1 to run freely from the ends of the same. In addition to the strengthening members described, each end section is provided near'the end which is remote from an adjacent intermediate section with a strengthening web wand withan inclined strengthening .rib M integral with the web 8 andbracing the underside of the trough I and the flange'fi 'In using my guard in connection with a crossing, the sections A and B are connected by the bolts i2 and the pavement of said crossing'is applied in the usual manner. Due to the bulkhead formed'by the webs 8, 8 no paving material can pass beneath the trough '1, F nor can any such material be driven, by the impact of the tires of vehicles thereon, beneath said trough, nor can the pavement be broken down at the outer edges of the flanges 6, 6 6'. Furthermore, because of the inclination of said web, the impact of the vehicle tires uponthe pavement adjacent to the flanges 6, 5 5 tends to force the flangeway guard toward the rail I with which it cooperates.

Each section, whether an intermediate section or an end section, provides a curb for the paving material, the curbs being formed between the flanges 'tffi an'd 6 andthe' flanges tyfl and 9 and the continuous webs connecting the said flanges, said webs being formed by the upper and .outer walls of the trough and by the continuous Web sections 8, 8 which extend from the said trough walls to the inner edges of the bottom .flanges. When asphaltic or bitulithic material .is used for the pavement (as is ordinarily the case) 'thi's'paving material is received within the continuous curb thus provided, which not only supports the paving material from displacement toward *the rail, but prevents the-edge ofthe pavement adjacent to the flanges 43, -6 and-t frombeing broken down, itbeing'noted-that the flangesS, 6 and 6 extend a substantial distance over the portiono'f the'pavingmaterial therebeneath, while the flanges -9 andl extend a substantial distance beneath the'pavement there'- above. The flangeway guard thus serves as a curb to retain thepaving material against .lateral displacement toward the rail and the upper flanges 16, 6 and '6 will protect the pavement against breakage at this point even when subjectedtothe impactiof very heavy loads.

Byconnecting the sections through the .iflanges Iii, it will be evident thatasing'le section may be removed and replaced by another without the necessity for taking --out another section; also that this manner ofv connecting the sections maintains a positive alinement between-the said sections. Furthermore, the web :8 .forms .a continuous girder which transmits theload received by anytpart of the flangeway guardfrom-oneztie to another.

ThetWo-units A and B, whichareremployed in the 1 construction of my :flangeway guard, can :be formed bya casting operation and withztheproduction of a guard Which,--whileebeing; extremely strong and especially adapted :for prolonged-resistance to theiincidents-of :heavy trafiic, can be producedatlow cost. 1

Having thus described-my invention, what. I claim is:

1. A .flangeway guard .-for' highway crossings comprising :in. combinationpone or. more intermediate integral sections and'end sections, each .of said sections having an inner flange adapted'to engage beneath the ball of a running rail, an outer flangelocated above the formerflange'gand a bottom flange adapted .to be secured to -the cross ties, there being a continuous trough formed between the upper flanges of said' sections, each section also having 1 acontinuous web extending downwardly and outwardly from the intersection of the 'outer wall :and :bottom :of the trough of said section to the bottom flange 201? said section, the upperand outer flanges and the bottom flanges of said sections and the outer walls-of the troughs and the continuous .webs of said sections forming jointly a curb for the retention and protection of paving material and the upper and outer flanges projecting a material distance outwardly beyond the troughs :with which they are'respectively associated thereby'to provide'an effective protection for the paving material therebeneath and abutting thereagainst.

2. A flangeway guard according to claim 1 in which each intermediate section is provided with ribs extending between the upper and outer flange thereof and the continuous web thereof and supporting said flange.

3. A fiangeway guard according to claim 1 in which bracing ribs connect the bottom flange and the upper and outer flange of each section and project outwardly from the continuous web and the outer wall of the trough of each section.

4. A combined pavement guard and flangeway trough adapted to abut a railway rail comprising a continuous integral channel section having a web and upper and lower flanges extending from said web away from said rail and adapted to form a continuous pocket for the reception of paving material, and a continuous substantially horizontal flange extending from said web toward said rail, said flange terminating in an upwardly extending continuous rib for engaging the under side of the head of said rail.

5. A flangeway guard for highway crossings comprising one or more sections having an inner flange adapted to engage beneath the head 7 of a running rail, an outer flange extending above said inner flange, and a bottom flange adapted to be secured to the cross ties, there being a continuous trough formed between said inner and outer flanges, and a continuous web extending downwardly and outwardly from said trough at a point spaced from saidinne'r flange to said bottom flange, a plurality of transverse ribs extending between said upper and bottom flanges, the upper, outer flange and the bottom flange and the outer wall of the trough and the continuous web and said ribs forming jointly a curb for the retention and protection of the paving material, and said upper, outer flange pro- J'ecting a material distance outwardly beyond the trough whereby to provide an effective protection for thepaving material therebeneath and abutting thereagainst.

' JAMES W. FRAZIER. 

